Sweat Lodge Ceremonies for Jail-based Treatment

Sweat lodge ceremonies (SLCs) have been an integral part of Navajo culture for hundreds of year. The Dine' Center for Substance Abuse Treatment staff utilized SLCs as a modality for jail-based treatment. Data were collected from the Spring of 1996 through the Spring of 1999 from 190 men ranging in age from 18 to 64. These inmate/patients (IPs) provided information at intake on a broad range of questions which were important in understanding the problems these men were having with alcohol and other drugs. Experiential data were collected from 123 IPs after each SLC. Several cultural variables showed improvement in the IP's world view following the SLCs. Even though there were few areas where data were statistically significant, several drinking measures changed in a positive direction. For example, among those subjects who were followed-up, analysis revealed a decrease in the number of drinks consumed in drinking sessions from a mean of 6.7 drinks at intake to a mean of 5.3 drinks. This article examines the role of SLCs in traditional counseling in jail-based treatment of alcohol abuse.